MAURICEVILLE NOTES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4037, 13 February 1892, Page 3

MAURICEVILLE NOTES.

[By Rustic]

The rainy weather is causing considerable alarm in tho Pony-Mile Bush as well as great immediate loss, Large quantities 3f cocksfoot are lying about the fields unthre3hed so long that it is a question whether it would be worth threshing even if the weather were suitable at the present time. . Over six thousand acres of felled bush in the immediate district of Mauriceville was fired on one day last week, which occasioned some rather extraordinary phenomena, The fires were lighted in the early part of the day when there was a good stiff breeze blowing. Towards the afternoon, however, the brcezo died nway and the smoke, instead of being disseminated over a large space, lifted slowly in huge dense volumes, blotting out the heaven* and eushroudiog the settlement in a mantle of almost impeaetrable darkness, Candles were lighted at threo in the afternoon, prayers were said in many of the houses of the elect, as some of the good people were afraid that the end of the world was ut hand, an apprehension which became intensified as the darkness increased to positive blackness and the blood-red disc of the sun, which before was occasionally visible through the tolling clouds, became altogether extinguished, Still more acute were the feelings of anxiety when the sable canopy was torn asunder by terrible flashes of forked lightning, while Joves' dread thunder growled out its disapproval at the want of proper light in Mauriceville, The rain descended in torrents, the water for sometime being as black as ink, Some phases of the Btorm were very beautiful, I ABthe atmosphere became clearer the canopy overhead exhibited a glorious richness of colour and a blending of tints so divinely exquisite that no pen, however able, could gire the faintest idea of the surpassing beauty of that noble picture. But, as regards the burn—l must get back to the burn if I can after all that onthusiastn-it is gratifying to be able to state that those to whom the wind was favour. able hid a fair, amount of success, while those who were less fortunate had for the most part, I believe, their fires completely extinguished by the rain, so that except, for the loss of , time, they are not in any worse posiI tion than they were before, The way of the transgressor is hard I The genial Sergeant Hannan Visited Mauriceville East on Wednesday last, accompanied by Constable May, The unwonted sight of two "coppers" in our inoffensive midst caused many of the enlightened dwellers on tho banks of the pelucid Kopnaranga to roll up and onquire what was tho matter, Constable May took upon himself to explain that the Sergeant and himself were consumed with a desire to go grass-seeding. They had been informed, he said, thai there was good money lo be made at it, and so they weut, Sure onough they got ton sicks in less than half an hour I They found them in an outhouse in close proximity to a house occupied by one of our local cele brities. The Sergeant expressed an intention of taking it to Masterton and exhibiting samples of it in the Court-house, Permit me to say once more the way of transgressors is hard! L Mauriceville East, Feb. 11,